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Brooks Orpik has no goals and three assists in 14 games this season.

Orpik isn't known for his offensive contributions and you shouldn't expect an increase in production from a points per game perspective as the season goes on. That being said, the 36-year-old has also seen his role decline in 2016-17 as he's gone from averaging 19:49 minutes per contest last season to 16:43 minutes. Nov 15 - 11:29 AM

Brooks Orpik picked up a pair of helpers in Washington's pre-season finale on Sunday.

Orpik has cracked the 20-point plateau just once in his career, so we don't think this "outburst" is indicative of anything. He is however a vacuum for shot blocks and hits, so if you're league tracks those, you'll be happy to know he's been a steady supplier all pre-season long. Oct 9 - 8:49 PM

Brooks Orpik opened up about the injuries that he dealt with over the course of the 2015-16 campaign.

Orpik suffered a crack in his femur during the regular season. He then suffered a concussion and neck injury during the Capitals' first round series against Philadelphia. He had three goals and 10 points in 41 regular season games. In the playoffs he had no points and a minus-three rating in six contests. May 12 - 10:53 AM

Brooks Orpik is thankful that his season didn't ended during his suspension.

"I don't know if I would have made a difference," he said. "It is in the past now, and you try to move forward. (The games) could have gone either way. We have a good opportunity (Tuesday)." He was banned for three games for a hit on Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta during Game 2, but he will be back in the lineup on Tuesday night. Orpik joked that he is expecting a "great reception" from the Pittsburgh crowd when he gets back into the fold. May 9 - 3:41 PM

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Brooks Orpik picked up a pair of helpers in Washington's pre-season finale on Sunday.

Orpik has cracked the 20-point plateau just once in his career, so we don't think this "outburst" is indicative of anything. He is however a vacuum for shot blocks and hits, so if you're league tracks those, you'll be happy to know he's been a steady supplier all pre-season long.

Brooks Orpik opened up about the injuries that he dealt with over the course of the 2015-16 campaign.

Orpik suffered a crack in his femur during the regular season. He then suffered a concussion and neck injury during the Capitals' first round series against Philadelphia. He had three goals and 10 points in 41 regular season games. In the playoffs he had no points and a minus-three rating in six contests.

Brooks Orpik is thankful that his season didn't ended during his suspension.

"I don't know if I would have made a difference," he said. "It is in the past now, and you try to move forward. (The games) could have gone either way. We have a good opportunity (Tuesday)." He was banned for three games for a hit on Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta during Game 2, but he will be back in the lineup on Tuesday night. Orpik joked that he is expecting a "great reception" from the Pittsburgh crowd when he gets back into the fold.

Orpik has finished serving his three game suspension for his hit on Pittsburgh blueliner Olli Maatta. Maatta has yet to return to the Penguins lineup but Orpik will be raring to go Tuesday. Orpik is not a points machine as he had only three goals and 10 points in 41 games and none in five playoff contests but is a valuable member of the defensive corps of the Washington Capitals.

"I think it was fair," Orpik said. "It was a bad hit. I intended for it to be a hard hit, but definitely not at his head. I don't think there's anything that you can argue that it was definitely late. I think that was pretty black and white, and I said that during my hearing yesterday. I was just disappointed. It's a split-second decision you make, and you’ve just got to live with it." Coach Barry Trotz had a much different outlook on the situation and indicated that the length of the ban had a lot to do with who the Capitals were playing against.

Brooks Orpik has been suspended three games for his hit (interference) on Olli Maatta on Saturday night in Game 2.

That is statement from the NHL, but it was an ugly play. Orpik drilled Maatta with a late, high hit at 4:13 of the first period. Maatta seemed woozy, and is more than likely out for Game 3, if not the rest of the series because of a concussion (though the exact injury hasn’t been announced). With the second-round series with the Penguins 1-1, there is a chance that Orpik’s season is over.

Brooks Orpik will have a hearing for his hit on Olli Maatta in Game 2.

Orpik nailed Maatta with a high-hit that was also very late. Orpik's shoulder hit Maatta right in the head. Maatta was slow to get up and took his time leaving the ice. Orpik was given a two-minute penalty for interference on the play. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Department of Player Safety suspend Orpik for a game or two. The Capitals and Penguins are tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Monday night.

Brooks Orpik could be facing a suspension for his late hit on Olli Maatta Saturday.

Orpik received a two minute minor for interference but his late and high hit on Maatta forced the Penguins defenseman out of the game and he did not return. "I thought it was a late hit," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought it was a target to his head. I think it's the type of hit everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game." If Orpik is suspended, look for Dmitry Orlov to return after missing a game as a healthy scratch.

Brooks Orpik (upper body) is expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Penguins.

Orpik was injured in Game 3 of Washington's first round series against the Flyers after he was hit by Ryan White. It appears as though he's good to go ahead of tonight's game against Pittsburgh. Orpik is currently on the ice for warmups and he's skating on a pairing with John Carlson.

Coach Barry Trotz wouldn't say if Orpik will be available during Washington's second-round series against Pittsburgh. He still hasn't received the green light from doctors, but Game 1 could be a possibility.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz was asked if Brooks Orpik, who has been listed as out with an upper-body injury, has a concussion.

"I'm not going to answer that," Trotz said, which is an answer that doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Then again, it's the playoffs, which means teams will be very secretive about their injured players, so the fact that he didn't outright deny it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Trotz did add that Orpik exercised today, though he didn't skate with his teammates, and the bench boss isn't concerned about Orpik's long-term availability.

Kuznetsov has not had a good season at all after a 20 goal, 77 point performance last year. He has only three goals and nine points in 23 contests and certainly has been a sore spot for his fantasy owners this season. You have to keep him but it would be nice if he could start contributing.

Jay Beagle scored the only goal in Washington's 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Beagle broke the scoreless tie at the 14:49 mark of the third period. Dmitry Orlov picked up the only assist on the Beagle's marker. Beagle's been on a bit of a productive streak, as he's picked up four points in his last five contests. He has four goals and four assists in 17 games this season.

Ovechkin has accumulated 22 penalty minutes in 24 games this season, including 10 PIM in his last three contests. "Unacceptable," Trotz said. "He’s the leader. He can’t take those penalties. You’ve got to be on the right side. I’m going to address it harshly with him tomorrow. There’s way too many of that. If you’re working, then you don’t need to do that. We’re going to address that." With that in mind, don't be surprised if you see Ovechkin's PIM pace decline going forward.

Those were Johansson's 10th and 11th goals in 24 games this season. To give that some context, he has never scored more than 20 markers in a single campaign, so he's currently on pace to shatter his personal best. He also remarkably already has five game winners. Jay Beagle scored Washington's other goal. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams, Daniel Winnik, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, and Brooks Orpik each registered an assist.

Justin Williams scored a pair of goals in Wednesday's 4-3 OT win over the Boston Bruins.

Williams scored the first two goals of the game in the first period. Daniel Winnik eventually gave Washington a 3-0 lead, but the Bruins managed to score three unanswered goals to force OT. In the extra frame, it was Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom that scored the game-winner. The offensive output doubled Williams' goal total for the season. The veteran winger has four goals and three assists in 25 games this season. Those numbers are disappointing by his standards.

Wilson had been seeing time on the second unit with Evgeni Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson earlier so he has been seeing top-six minutes after starting the season as a bottom-six forward. His true value is in the penalty minutes category. Wilson has a goal and 12 penalty minutes in 13 games this season. Expect a lot more minutes the rest of the way.

Jakub Vrana logged 10:16 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut on Thursday.

Vrana took four shots on goal, but like the rest of the Capitals he couldn't generate anything offensively in the 3-0 loss to the Islanders. "It was a new experience and I had a great feeling out there," he said. "I had a few shots, they just miss. It kind of hurts to end up the game [with a loss] like this." He's got a lot of upside and is certainly worth keeping an eye on for as long as he's with the Capitals.

The offensive defenseman has played 23 games with nine assists thus far but is second on the Capitals in shots on goal with 57. He had eight goals and 39 points in only 56 games last season so his lack of production is a concern to his fantasy owners. "Carly is such a talent, and I think this one of the few times in Carly’s career, which is sort of good for Carly in fact, it’s not coming really easy for him," coach Barry Trotz said. "He got off to a slow start, a little bit nicked up through the World Cup and the start of our season, and now he’s playing catch-up. Now, maybe you’re not having the success that you’ve had in the past. I don’t want to say doubt creeps in, but you start to look for different ways to have success and different ways to do that. Sometimes, as I said, the doubt creeps in or you get frustrated. When you’re frustrated, it’s just not a good energy."

Karl Alzner (sports hernia) will play on Tuesday in a preseason game versus Montreal.

"I think it's going to be fine," Alzner said. "It's been fine the whole time so far. In scrimmage, I'm okay. I've been feeling great when I wake up, so I don't think it's going to be an issue. The only thing is if something crazy happens out there, which can happen. I'm not too nervous about it." He had sports hernia surgery during the off-season, but he has looked ready to play during training camp.

Orpik isn't known for his offensive contributions and you shouldn't expect an increase in production from a points per game perspective as the season goes on. That being said, the 36-year-old has also seen his role decline in 2016-17 as he's gone from averaging 19:49 minutes per contest last season to 16:43 minutes.

The Caps were in complete control of the game early, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. But the Bruins eventually woke up, as they scored three straight goals in the second and third period to force OT. Nicklas Backstrom scored the game-winning goal for Washington. Holtby has now won back-to-back outings. He has a 12-6-2 record with a 2.18 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage this season.

It was his first win since Oct. 29 (he only played two games since then). Grubauer has a 3-1-1 record with a 1.80 goals-against-average and a .936 save percentage this season. He has no fantasy value in any leagues.